Friday, July 21, 2006

To Flee or Not To Flee

The title may be not original, but it is what came first on my mind.

The attacks in Lebanon have been on-going, and no one can tell when it is going to stop. The Republic of the Philippines has been pleading for help, even from the Vatican. Yes, as always, there are lots of OFWs there, like in the rest of the world.

The government takes pride in the success stories of the Filipinos globally. Sure, their dollar remittances add to the income of the country. At least the legal ones. Even the TNTs, when they send money, help the nation in one way or another. After all, the peso becomes stronger, and the international currency is in dollars, US dollars.

They have given thoughts that these Filipinos are martyrs, willing to be away from their families in the hope of giving them a better life. Who are the real martyrs, or heroes, anyway? Those who escape from the hardships of our country? Or those who are still staying here, including me, and bearing the hardships of the country, including the political instability, corruption, crimes, pollution, traffic, and witnessing the increasing poverty of the people?

On the other hand, those who have fled to other countries would prefer to stay there, rather than being unemployed here. The government is proud for their talents and skills, primarily because they cannot provide enough employment for them. They can be employed, but they can be also underemployed. They are not getting their diploma's worth.

Therefore, despite the bombings, the destructions, the fear that they are experiencing, they'd rather not flee. While here, they would flee from serving a rotten and dishonest administration.